Tears to Tomorrow
by Seleana
Summary: Ten years after EW, Heero is about to allow himself to start a new life, until he is reminded that he will never be free from war. "It's a shame," said Quatre, "That Miss Relena could survive the war, but still had her chance at happiness taken from her." Is everything what it seems? Who are the true enemies of the Earth Sphere? 1xR 2xH 3x4 6x9 [Continuation into FROZEN TEARDROP]
1. AC206 - MC12 FIRST SUMMER I

Prologue I

AC 206 / MC 12 :: Earth, Brussels, Belgium

FIRST SUMMER, July 7th

Heero's eyes crept open. _What was that? _ A strange sound came from the bathroom, and then another. With the fog of sleep still clinging to his mind, it took the sound of a toilet flushing for him to realize just what it was. She was still sick.

He sat up in bed, resting his arms on one raised knee, just as a half-pajamaed, half-dressed Relena emerged from the bathroom, drying her face in her hands. "Still sick?" he asked.

"Uh. _Every time_ I meet with them, this happens," said Relena, looking for a matching suit-top in her closet. "I suppose I'm just not meant for L4 Colony food. It's so spicy."

"You should be careful with that. It could be poison."

"Don't say such a thing, Heero. You know it's not," she said, a small smile creeping on her face.

The Perfect Solider would never quite leave Heero Yui; regardless of how many years of peace had come to pass, he still seemed to look for this sort of thing at every turn. In the ten years since the Mars colonization had began, peace had reigned indefinitely, and an incredibly prosperous time had come to both The Colonies and Earth. The L3 Cluster was slated to finally come to completion by the end of the year, and even Heero's work with the Preventers, which he'd reluctantly agreed to some time ago at Sally's bequest, had come to a slow. In the rare case when Sally did call on him to travel into space, along with the other former pilots and ex-soldiers, the sort of work they did was hardly necessary. On a recent mission to watch over, or rather, to stand around doing nothing while looking official, during the final arrangements in L3, Heero had nearly taken the Duo route and dozed off on duty. Yes, even Heero Yui, the one-and-only. His newest mission, a return to L3, had the horrifying prospect of being the same—or even duller.

"You should still go see a doctor. It's been three days," he murmured.

"Yes, dear,"

"If you don't, I'll take you myself."

Relena stopped what she was doing, looking to the man in her bed. The two exchanged a glance of understanding, and Relena relived the embarrassing memory of when Heero literally carried her over his shoulder into Sally's office for a cough that had kept him up for a week. Of course, he was right that time—it was Bronchitis—but that didn't mean he was right this time. Still, he wouldn't release his stare. "All right, all right. I'll try to clear some time off of my schedule tomorrow morning—if only to prove you're wrong. I can't possibly have the flu, Heero. It's the middle of summer," she muttered, halfway trying to convince herself this was the case. It wasn't until just last night that she realized how truly miserable she'd been feeling for nearly the last week. _Perhaps I really am sick_, she thought—_No, no! I'm too busy to be sick!_

Heero smirked. Empapath or not, Heero knew what was on Relena's mind. The woman would rather die than cancel a meeting or take a day off. Instead of thanking her directly, he nodded his head, and went to his own closet. "I'm off to L3-X18999 today."

"Again?"

"Mhm. Apparently, there was some issue in attempting to hook the thing up to the data satellites; the whole colony is offline, basically. No communications have been able to get in or out for the last eighteen hours. Everything inside the colony is working beautifully; it's just the connections to Earth and the other Colonies," he said. "It won't take long. They just want us there to make sure it's nothing."

"Will I be able to contact you at all?"

Heero shrugged. "It might be difficult to get any signal in once I arrive. I heard it's a mess just to land and take off out of there right now."

"Poor Sally," said Relena, sympathetically, as she tightened her cravat around her neck. "They're never going to let her reti—God, is that the time!? Oh, oh, I've got to go! Pagan!"

"Calm down," murmured Heero, shaking his head as he caught a glance of the woman flailing around the room through his closet mirror. "No wonder you're sick. Take a break for once."

Relena signed, composing herself. "Baby steps, Heero. Baby steps. I've just agreed to go to the doctor, haven't I?" she said, smirking to herself. "But as a fair trade, I would like an answer to my question from dinner last night by the time you return. Don't make me ask again."

"Hm." Heero released a sound unconsciously, taken aback. Marriage wasn't something important to him; what did a ring add to his and Relena's life together? Already, the two knew they shared an intense bond. Did she really need some jewelry to prove that? Or was it about proving anything? He froze in his steps. He knew this was an entirely different concept for a woman like Relena, and that if she'd asked, it was important to her. And even if it didn't matter at all to him, of course he would do it for her. At least, that was what his quiet, little heart said, but his mind stopped him every time with this sort of realism; the realism that fueled the only way that Heero knew how to live. It didn't matter how many years passed, his mind always told him that happiness on the cusp of being taken from him.

He closed his eyes. The thought of that little girl and her dog still came to him every time he did this.

Still.

Except for when she was there, with him.

_"The only way to live a good life is to act on your emotions." _

Heero's eyes opened, just as Relena finished fixing her hair with one hand, and reached for the doorknob with the other. "Well… we might as well make it official. It_ is_ about time."

Relena's eyes widened, a great joy growing in her. "Oh, Heero—"

"—Your meeting."

"Oh! You're right, oh… oh, goodness," she looked between Heero and the door, frantically trying to choose. Heero couldn't help but smile. "Tonight! I will try to get through to you tonight before you take off! Or, whenever I can—Oh, Pagan, get the car!"

* * *

Three Days Later, L3-X18999

First Summer, July 11th

"All right, boys. It looks good," said Sally, giving a thumbs up to the transceiver. "Well done, everyone. No problems detected," she paused, hearing the feedback of several of the men cheering. She turned to the men standing behind her, surprised that they themselves had remained quiet, until the now considerably taller Duo Maxwell let out a great yawn. Sally frowned. "We're you hoping for bad news?"

"After this long?" he responded. He folded his arms behind his head, looking to the side. Truthfully? Maybe a little. Of course, he wouldn't say that. A quick glance exchanged with Wu Fei told him that he wasn't alone in this. "'Course not. But they could've at least invited us to the party."

"Our presence still makes some people uncomfortable," said Wu Fei. "It's better this way."

"C'yeah, but still," Duo frowned. "A man's gotta eat."

"You could go if you'd like, Duo" Sally chimed in. "All of you could. It's just me that's not welcome, unfortunately. But, a couple of ex-soldiers, friends of, and the heir to the Winner family…? If a stuffy party is your thing, then by all means," she said. Upon hearing the word 'stuffy,' Duo's sadness notably softened. Sally smiled, returning to her transceiver. "It looks like we should be out of here in the next few hours."

"I could take you," Quatre chimed in, happily. "I think I _have_ to go, anyway."

"Forget it. I'll just go out for some curry or somethin'."

_"Major Po! Everything went seamlessly,"_ came the voice of an oil-covered mechanic with a wrench in hand from the transceiver. He saluted, and let out a deep sigh. _"It looks like a small meteor from last week's shower caused the whole problem. We'll be done in an estimated five hours."_

"Roger that. Well done—"

_"—One thing, though, ma'am. We suggest that everyone come in for a landing and cut engine power until then. In order to bring the satellites back online, we need as little interference as possible. We suggest cutting everything but the emergency channels." _

"Understood. We'll bring our cruiser in for landing immediately."

_"Thank you for all of your help, ma'am." _

Quatre smiled, looking over the colony before the transmission was cut in preparation for landing. It was hard to believe that this peaceful place was almost rammed into Earth just eleven years ago, and now, it was home to thousands of people, and a thriving entertainment district. Even the city center where he had fought alongside Trowa and Duo had been completely restored. "Being here sure does bring back memories, doesn't it? It almost makes me miss Sandrock," he said, balancing his chin on his hand.

"And here's Quatre Rebaba Winner, casually smiling about the time he almost bled to death," said Duo, smirking. He looked up to the ceiling, his lips, too, pulling into an accidental smile. He couldn't help it. "Guess it really is a different world out there. I mean, of course it is. No war. No Gundams. Heero Yui's gettin' hitched. Damn, I feel like I lost a bet in there somewhere."

"Are you really still so surprised about that one? I can't wait to talk to Miss Relena. She must be so excited. Try to look happier, Duo, all of that's wonderful news!" said Quatre, excited enough to make up for the other former pilots. Wu Fei, too, seemed to share Duo's lack of excitement.

"Hey, it's weird for a guy like me!" Duo frowned.

"The fact that you're here says so," Wu Fei chimed in, standing with his arms folded a few rows behind the other two pilots. Something had been troubling for some time. "Even when we need your help, you're usually nowhere to be found. Fighting with Hilde again?"

"Wu Fei," Quatre frowned, seeming poised for a lecture. Each of the former pilots, with the exception of Wu Fei, found out after their arrival that their invitation was mostly at the request of a lonely Quatre himself, for the sake of old times, and just to share in seeing the colony that they had saved once again. With the exception of Trowa, who had declined the offer on the grounds that "even a clown suit is better than one of those stupid uniforms," this method of bringing together old friends had worked like a charm. Whether or not any of them would admit it, their reunion had been long overdue. "I'm sure everything is—"

"—We broke up."

"What?!"

"Mhmm. She kicked me out on my ass." Duo let his arms fall to his sides. "Haven't spoken in two months now."

Wu Fei smiled to himself, smugly. He'd expected as much. Sally shook her head.

"That's awful, Duo! Where have you been living?"

Duo shrugged. "A little bit of everywhere, for the moment. I'm actually headed to Mars. They need a lot of laborers and stuff; wouldn't be hard to start a life there," he said.

"Well, if you need anything, you're always welcome to—"

"—Nah, don't worry about it. It's cool, it's cool. You can't change the past, Quatre," said the man, releasing another yawn. Duo eyed him. He seemed to be taking the news worse than even he had. What little color there was had drained from Quatre's face, and a strained expression had taken to his face. "Hell, I'm not even sure if I'd want to. Calm down."

"No, it's—" Quatre's face fell into his hands. He grunted. "It's… something's…"

The doors flew open, and Heero ran into the room, just as a siren sounded and a call came on the emergency line. Quatre had all but collapsed in Duo's hands, but even the quivering boy could see the most worrying sign of all. Heero Yui's hands were shaking.

"H-Heero…" Quatre managed.

"Sally," Heero said, narrowing his brow. He eyed the blond for just a moment before looking back to her. "Land this thing."

She glanced back to him, picking up the red phone. Silence. "_W-what?! The entire…_"

Heero could feel time slowing in that moment; his heart skipped a beat. He saw the woman's lips moving, but suddenly, the sound of her words could not get through to him. His eyes wide, and glassy, the man didn't even seem to notice as a hand clamped down on his shoulder, and shook him.

_"Heero!"_

An unknown assailant had destroyed the entire city of Brussels in an air raid in the middle of the night.

The former Romefeller Foundation complex had been entirely obliterated, and at least ten political figures and diplomats were already declared dead, with another twenty-eight missing. Civilian causalities already numbered into the thousands.

And Relena Darlian; Relena Peacecraft, former Queen of all the Worlds, the Relena he wouldn't have minded calling Relena Lowe, or Yui, if it was what she'd wanted—his Relena—was nowhere to be found.

* * *

_"You fools! How could you have let this happen?!" _

_"I'm sorry, sir! She wasn't supposed to be in the building; it wasn't on her itinerary—"_

_"—Enough!"_

The voice was familiar. But, who was it? Relena opened her eyes for a brief moment before the pounding vertigo sent them shut tight. There were two men, one in black, his arm still extended from delivering a blow, and the other, a uniformed man hunched over on a potted plant. _Heero?_ Her lips moved, but little more than hot, breathy air emerged. No, it wasn't Heero. Trying once again to open her eyes, she noticed a new sensation, a throbbing pain in her left arm and leg. And blood. Her eyes widened for a moment, seeing just how much of it was all over her tattered blouse. She managed to release another gasp before her head fell to the side all of its own accord. Was this what it felt like to die?

_"It's all right, Relena. They've stopped the bleeding. You'll be fine now."_

Tears rolled down her face as the feeling of confusion set in. How could she be fine!? She could barely feel anything, her heart was racing, it was a miracle she was even—and the blood—oh, the blood!

The man in black brushed the girl's behind her ear, just as her eyes came to a close. Peaking over the rims of his sunglasses, he gave her a once over. Thankfully, the damage was superficial. When it appeared she was peacefully asleep once more, he gripped her hand in his own. "She's a strong one, fighting the anesthesia like that," he murmured, tracing his finger across her cheek. "Relena."

"She'll wish she didn't once she realizes she has all those broken bones," said a woman, approaching him from behind. She wrapped her arm around his side, looking over the girl's tattered body. "I thought you were leaving today."

"My plans changed when I heard about this."

"Tell me about it. Oh, Zechs, I just don't know…" the woman looked away, eying the floor.

She wasn't ready for this sort of thing again; the war, the carnage—not again. After tonight's incident, it was only a matter of time before the entire Mars Foundation, and Mars as a whole were called out as terrorists and warmongers, and once again, the world would be plunged into chaos. The mere thought of it sent her foot into a staunch kick in the ground. Even silent, Zechs' understood her frustration. She couldn't stand for it any longer. Things were different now. Becoming a mother had taught Noin just how precious life was. Saying that the mere thought of her young son or daughter running off to become soldiers kept her up at night was an understatement; the idea haunted her every night. But even more, and what had kept her awake in the last few days, was the thought that one or both of her children may not even survive to have such an opportunity should another war break out. She knew all too well that the vast majority of the victims of a conflict like the one brewing were children. The fact that the twins were born of a chief officer of the Preventers, and the infamous Milliardo Peacecraft, both now about to be implicated as terrorists… Noin's head began to spin just thinking about it.

"Damn it all," she murmured, burying her face in her hands. "I'm sorry…"

"Noin…"

"This was never supposed to be part of the plan, was it?! What happened down there? All we wanted was the peace of Mars. God, I know Relena would've been more than willing to help if you'd just asked…"

"I thought that was what was happening. I know you don't want to hear it, Noin, and I don't have the proof to claim anything about anyone—especially your brother—but the Noinheim Konzern—"

"—Maybe when you leave…" Noin didn't need any explanations right now; she didn't care why, or how it happened that the entire capitol of the ESUN had been destroyed. "Maybe you should take Naina and Milou with you to Mars."

"That's…" He eyed the door behind him as it opened. He and Noin shared a quick nod, both in the understanding that this topic was not to be discussed in front of any Mars Federation soldiers.

"Excuse me, sir," said a man, in a garb similar to the unfortunate man who had met with Zechs' fist. "It seems like she's stable. The damage wasn't life threatening in the least bit, but she'll be sore for awhile. It was a close call with the baby for awhile, though, but he seems like he'll pull through just fine, too."

The doctor could not have known why, in that moment, Zechs' expression turned so very pale. Noin, still teary and red in the face, let out a small gasp.

"_Baby_?"

* * *

**Notes: **This story takes place after Endless Waltz, in a slightly altered version of the Frozen Teardrop continuity. The first five chapters of this story are essentially prologue to the year when this story, and Frozen Teardrop, really begin, but it's very important that I do publish these first five chapters, as this is where most of the differences between this story and Frozen Teardrop develop. It makes a big difference later on; trust me. Those of you who haven't read Frozen Teardrop might have difficulty discerning where my story starts and FT's plot begins, but I will try to make note of what is and isn't my own creation. I've had this fan fiction outlined for quite sometime, and I don't think that it would be as easy to catch on to without the chapters. :) I highly encourage you to read and buy Frozen Teardrop as it comes out in your countries. You should be warned that reading this fic will provide spoilers for Frozen Teardrop, but will also differ from Frozen Teardrop a lot as the story goes on.

Well, I hope you have enjoyed chapter one! Please, please leave comments if you have the time. This is my first fan fiction in quite some time, and I really would appreciate any advice.

Please feel free to comment, flame, etc.

ケネディ


	2. AC206 - MC12 FIRST SUMMER II

**PROLOGUE 2**

MC 12:: L3 X-18999

July 12th, First Summer

"Are you_ sure_ this is a good idea?" Duo grumbled, sticking his hands in his pockets. He and Quatre were busy loading a ship to return to Earth.

"Of course; we have to go. Sally and Wu Fei need our help on this one, and Heero—"

"—We saw it on the news; there's no way that girl survived!"

"Don't say things like that, Duo!" Quatre snapped, his hands shaking. "We have to hope that Miss Relena managed to survive. And even if… even if…well, there are a lot of people who need our help right now. There's been such a scramble to see who's left to take orders from that the recovery effort's been almost null. People are still buried under the rubble, just trying to survive…" the blond looked down, shedding a tear onto the control panel he was seated at. "Everything's ready here," he murmured, wiping his eyes.

"Still, I'm just sayin', the Romafeller building took a direct hit, and they wiped out her whole street, too. Come on. They already found the butler's body; everyone knows it's just matter of time. Heero's lucky he made it outta there when he did. It's probably not good to get him all full of false hope, you know?"

"I know what you mean, but, I can't…" Quatre's eyes darted away. There was no sense in trying to explain this to Duo; this was just one of the ways that Quatre still differed from the other pilots, even after ten years.

"But, Quatre; tell me somethin'" asked Duo, leaning back in his chair. "Doesn't the whole thing seem kind of odd to you? They're talkin' about it like it was just some random nutjobs from an anti-colony group on Earth. No military affiliation or anything. Nuts or not, where did a bunch of civilians get a bunch of old Taurus units like that? I thought they were all destroyed. And even if they weren't, it's not like anybody can just climb into a mobile suit and do that much damage in just a few minutes. They weren't amateurs."

"I guess what I'm wondering is if it's a coincidence that this happened right when most of the Preventers were out here, at X-18999," said Quatre, narrowing a brow. "Including most of the ESUN's Defense Force."

This wasn't a theory that had garnered any attention from the remaining ESUN investigators, and delegates sent from the colonies. The world, it seemed, was more willing to accept a single, isolated group of insane terrorists, rather than a direct act of sabotage. The idea hadn't even crossed the minds of Sally Po or Lady Une, both buried so deeply in paperwork and angry phone calls, that neither had the time to question the perfect scenario that a small fraction of an anti-ESUN organization, and several freshly-used Air-type Taurus units matching those identified by survivors, were discovered in an abandoned Mobile Suit factory just five-hundred kilometers away from the scene of the crime. It was too perfect for coincidence. Even to the former Gundam pilots, such evidence could not be ignored. Turning the mounting evidence over in his head, even Duo began to wonder if perhaps he was just looking for a war that didn't exist. Sighing deeply, he rose from his chair.

"I'll go load some more stuff on the ship."

"Right." Quatre murmured, keeping his gaze low.

"Hey, Quatre, remember. There's nothing any of us could have done—"

"—It's all my fault you all were here. I should have never asked you here. Maybe, if you'd been there… if Heero had been there with Miss Relena—"

"—He'd be—" Duo stopped himself, watching as tears formed in Quatre's eyes. _Dead right with her_. "Listen," he said, scratching the back of his head. Comforting Quatre would be no short task, and it was a task, regardless, that Duo was poor at. "We're not Gundam pilots anymore. The ESUN Defense Force doesn't even have any damn Mobile Suits. No matter what we're trying to tell ourselves, we're just as helpless as any other civilians now." He sighed, deeply. That hadn't quite come out as well as he'd hoped it would have, and now Quatre looked even more miserable. "What I'm saying is, we probably couldn't have changed anything. Hell, who knows? Maybe you bringing us up here saved one of us."

Through his tears, Quatre let off a chuckle. "Thank you, Duo."

"That help?"

"Maybe a little."

"Only a—"

"—Would you mind doing a favor for me?"

"Uh, yeah, sure. Whatdja need?"

"Could you check in on Heero for me? I'm worried. He still hasn't said anything, and—"

"—I don't need anyone checking up on me."

Neither of the other two ex-pilots had noticed Heero enter, nor knew how much he'd managed to overhear. But, there he was, looking and sounding so much like his old self that seeing him now, one couldn't fathom the great pain he felt inside. Silence. Duo and Quatre exchanged an awkward glance, neither sure what to say to the man.

"Come on. We're ready to go," Heero continued. "We loaded the ship while you two were chatting."

"Heero, if you need anything—anything…" Quatre interrupted, a tad more frantically than he would've hoped. "_Anything._"

Without another word, Heero turned and left the room, his knuckles still white from balled fists. _If I need anything?_ There was nothing they had to give that he needed now. He stopped, propping himself up against one of the exterior walls in the hallway. Through the window, Heero could see a tiny blue speck in the distance; Earth appeared as if not a thing had changed, even when his world was falling apart. "I need…" Grunting, he sent his fist toward the wall… only to stop, when a peculiar sensation crept down the side of his face.

Tears.

* * *

MC 12 :: Mars Federation Cruiser

July 18th

When Relena awoke this time, she found that the painful sensations in her body had nullified if only just a bit, and now, her thoughts were becoming clear. She remembered that day just as any other—meeting, meeting, meeting, meeting—and then finally, taking care of some extra work before leaving home. She stayed late that night, knowing Heero wouldn't be home to greet her, and so that she could begrudgingly get ahead on enough paperwork to allow for a doctor's visit the next morning. Alone with only a few other agents from Foreign Affairs, Relena suspected the building had been mostly empty when the first explosion happened. Being who she was, Relena had run towards the flames instead of away, searching for survivors of what she'd expected was a gas explosion, or a defect in the building's electrical system, or, frankly, anything but 16-meter-tall mobile suit that greeted her when she turned the corner, and entered into a hall that had become part of the courtyard outside.

After ten years, Relena had forgotten that feeling of paralyzing fear, but there it had returned, burning deep inside her. For that, she was almost disappointed in herself. She couldn't remember much from the time after her eyes had met with the mobile suit. The ceiling had collapsed in with the second hit, and then… nothing. How had she survived? She opened her eyes only just a crack. _A hospital?_ Yes, that was right. Her eyes widened. She remembered two men fighting, and voice—her brother's voice—and then nothing, once again.

"Are you finally up, Sleeping Beauty?"

"Noin?"

"It's been six days, Relena," she replied, her lips curving into a small smile. It was a relief to hear her voice, even if it meant the start of a difficult conversation. "Are you in any pain? I can see if they can get something for you," she said. When she moved, she found Relena's eyes locked on her, already demanding an explanation.

"Six days?" Relena murmured, looking away from the woman. Her body suddenly felt so very distant once again, had it truly been that long? "What…happened?"

"It looks like some terrorists attacked Brussels. An anti-ESUN group made up of Earthlings, of all things." said Noin, without skipping a beat.

She couldn't bear to tell Relena the real truth, the truth that her own brother's orders may have lead to Relena's near-death, and what was in reality an attack on the Earth Sphere. She knew that, had she known the truth, Relena wouldn't have acted with her own safety in mind, and would've ran straight back to Earth, and to danger, to preach peace to Mars and the rest of the colonies. Noin had spent days rehearsing the version of events she'd impart to the younger woman, watching as the news unfolded for all of Earth and the colonies to see— watching as the world slowly began to give up, and to mourn Relena. Even if she would make an enemy of the woman this way, Noin had convinced herself that this was what was right. This was the only way that she could keep Relena Peacecraft and her child alive.

Noin went on to tell her a virtual carbon copy of what the rest of the world knew—that the three guilty men, part of an anti-ESUN organization, had collected the old mobile suits and stockpiled them in what appeared to have been a long-planned act of terror. She added that while the three had been captured, the rest of the organization, including the suspected figureheads, had vanished underground, and were on the run. In the hideout, the Preventers had found documentation suggesting specific targets, including Relena and many other government officials. That, she said, was where the Mars Federation came in. It was her own brother, Zechs, that had pulled Relena out of the rubble and brought her in secret to the cruiser where they were now. Fearing that the perpetrators would come to make another attempt on her life, not a soul had been informed of Relena's current whereabouts.

"But, I don't understand. What was my brother doing on Earth?" Relena questioned. While she didn't consider for a moment that what she was told wasn't true, that detail stuck out in her mind as odd. "And—six days, my God—we have to tell Sally, and Heero, and the others that I'm all right. They must be—"

"—We'd been keeping tabs on them ourselves, of course," Noin interrupted. She exhaled deeply. Lying had been an easy feat compared with her next task. "Relena. That might not be the best idea."

"And why not?"

"You need to think of your own safety right now. Maybe… maybe it's better if the world thinks you're dead for awhile." Before she could protest, Noin continued. "Relena, these people are after your life. Until they're captured, you need to take as many precautions as possible."

"I can do that on Earth. I have Heero to protect me—and I'm _not_ helpless. I can protect myself—"

"—Don't you get that your life isn't just about you anymore?! Relena, for the sake of your child, listen to me. You're a twenty-nine-year-old woman now. Don't you see? You may still be young, but you don't have many chances at happiness left if you keep putting yourself in danger, Relena. The world is at peace. You don't need to keep on fighting like this—"

"—My_ what_?"

Noin froze. "You didn't know?"

"I'm…" Relena couldn't quite bring herself to say the word. _Pregnant? _No, no, it wasn't possible; it wasn't as if she didn't take precautions against this sort of thing. "No."

"Yes, definitely. Two months already. Trust me, Zechs was hoping for a no, too," said Noin, muttering over the last part. Even if his sister was an adult now, and he was a parent himself, Zechs didn't take too kindly to the idea that the bratty kid of a Gundam pilot he once fought had gotten intimate with his sister. "Congratulations."

"I can't be... oh, Noin, you couldn't understand. I'm not… and Heero…" Relena trailed off. _Heero_. Even after ten years, she could barely manage to keep the man from running off into space every other week. How could she ask something like this of him when she wasn't even sure if she could ask it of herself? The two had hardly ever discussed having children, and never in a serious manner. She covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh, God…"

"Do you understand what I mean, now?" Noin sighed. "Relena, I know it might not seem like something you'd ever expected to see yourself doing, but believe me when I say I would do anything to be in your position right now. Having the chance to start somewhere new with the twins…to just be their mom," she stopped, letting off a solitary giggle as her cheeks flushed a mild pink. "I'm sorry; I'm not used to talking like this."

"I think I do know what you mean," Relena murmured. She flopped back on her pillow, letting out a sigh. This certainly wasn't what Relena had expected her next meeting with Lucrezia Noin to have been. She'd imagined that one day, they could get together; that she and Heero could see her niece and nephew; that they would celebrate her engagement. This, of course, would come when Relena could finally manage to sneak away from work—or rather, whenever it occurred to her to make it a priority. Even Relena knew this was the real reason that it'd been so long. "What have I been doing, Noin? My ideal has been realized, hasn't it? Peace. Total Pacifism. And here I am, just burying myself in paperwork…"

Noin winced at the word. _Peace_. She wasn't sure how much longer she could manage to lie to the face of a friend. "Life gets away from you," she murmured. "Some days I feel like I was just changing diapers, and yesterday, Naina told her brother she hated him. She thought he lost her doll. It was right in her room, but you couldn't tell her that," she sighed, deeply, cupping her face in her hand. "She's like a little Zechs sometimes, I swear. And when those two go at it, it's… _ugh._ I won't lie, Relena. It's hard. They're _only two _and it's hard."

Relena smiled. The thought of her brother as a father was comforting. Perhaps, if he could manage it, maybe even someone like Heero could. "Two already?" she murmured.

"Mhm. Zechs' is taking them to Mars soon. We've been stationed on this cruiser since they were babies. I thought it was about time they had a real home," said Noin. That much was true. It was time for them to have a real home, and, to be safe. "If you'd like, we can arrange for you to go, too."

"I'll think about it," Relena murmured. "But only until the baby's born. I won't let the world think I'm dead forever, Noin. And Heero has to know that I'm alive," she said. A chill went down her spine. "Oh, goodness, how am I going to tell him _this_?"

"Maybe try writing it in a letter. It might be easier. And, hey, it's a better idea than opening up a communication channel from here. It'd be risky to leave a trail like that," she said.

The real question, she feared, was how to get Relena Peacecraft off the ship. Noin shifted her eyes away. There was still the problem that even she had no idea why the Federation attacked the ESUN, or why they'd brought Relena back alive when the goal was clearly to kill her. Whoever was behind this certainly wouldn't let their prisoner go without a fight. Whoever…

That was another problem.

From the time that the Noinheim Konzern, her father's organization, had joined forces with the Mars Colonization Project, her father had sworn to her that his only goal was that of any capitalist—to grow a profitable economy and make on his investment in Mars. The fact that over time, the Colonization Project's staff was almost entirely replaced by agents of what was little more than a financial conglomerate, and that the son of said conglomerate's head had become the first sitting President of Mars, while perturbing, wasn't illegal. How they'd done it, however… Noin couldn't help but wonder just how many signs she'd missed, and what, precisely, was about to unfold. _What are you up to, Father? And why do you need Relena Peacecraft to do it?_

"Noin?"

The blue-haired woman snapped back to reality. "Sorry. I was just thinking."

"About?"

"That this definitely isn't the way I thought I'd be catching up with you."

* * *

That night, Noin sat up in bed until her usual late hour, waiting for her husband to return. She kept her eyes on the clock. With all that was unfolding, him being late, even if entirely typical, was giving her cause to worry. When the doors opened, she instinctively reached for the gun she kept on her nightstand, until a flash of golden blonde hair caught her eye.

"Zechs! Where've you been?"

"Sorry. It seems someone mentioned to Milou that Auntie Relena is having a baby. He was awfully curious about where those come from. The bird… it's a sturgeon, right?"

"A…what?" Noin narrowed a brow. "It's a stork, I thought. Isn't a sturgeon one of those ugly fish things?"

"_Oh_."

A look of realization dawned on the man's face, and the two shared a strange glance before breaking into a small fit of laughter.

"How did she take it?"

"Pretty well. She had her own demands, of course, but she agreed to leave with you tomorrow," said the woman, eyeing an envelope on the nightstand. Even though Relena had sealed it with her name over the flap, the best she could do without a proper seal, the stationary they'd managed to scrape up looked wholly unlike her handiwork. "I don't even know if I should give it to him. If he comes after her… _if we can even get her off this ship…_" Noin ran her fingers through her hair. There were far too many 'ifs' in this situation for her to feel any good about it.

"Don't worry," said Zechs, a peculiar smirk growing across his lips. "I have a plan."

* * *

**Notes:** To clarify for readers who are not familiar with Frozen Teardrop, Relena's having a child is my creation. Once it's born, I'll leave you a note as to why I did this. Naina and Milou Peacecraft are canon characters from Frozen Teardrop, and not my own creation. Their official ages aren't released, but given that they appear a little older than the rest of the pilots in MC 22, I think their age gap is similar to Zechs' and Noin's from the pilots in the Gundam Wing series. That being said, I could be wrong in this. It's very difficult to discern the ages of people from Mars in particular, seeing as in Frozen Teardrop, living on Mars apparently makes some people age slower or faster. For instance, Zechs is supposed to be 51 in FT MC 22, but still looks the same as he did in Endless Waltz, while Duo Maxell is said to have aged quite significantly.

**Also: The Mars Century timeline uses actual Mars years, which means two of them equals one Earth year.** Given that this can be very confusing, I will list everything in both AC and MC. As long as you try not to over think it, it's really not very difficult at all. Feel free to ignore this weird time business altogether; it's not essential to understanding this story. J I'm just a perfectionist.

Your support has been really quite wonderful. 's new Story Stats system has allowed me to see where your IPs are from, and I'm really quite flattered to see that there are people reading this story from all corners of the globe! At the time that I'm posting this, there are people from thirty-two countries reading this story. Even though only a small fraction of you have left comments, I'm really quite touched to see that many people are apparently enjoying this. Thank you all!

The next chapter will be posted by New Years, 2013. Please stay with me!

ケネディ


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